1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to the field of information handling system cooling, and more particularly to dual mode portable information handling system cooling.
2. Description of the Related Art
As the value and use of information continues to increase, individuals and businesses seek additional ways to process and store information. One option available to users is information handling systems. An information handling system generally processes, compiles, stores, and/or communicates information or data for business, personal, or other purposes thereby allowing users to take advantage of the value of the information. Because technology and information handling needs and requirements vary between different users or applications, information handling systems may also vary regarding what information is handled, how the information is handled, how much information is processed, stored, or communicated, and how quickly and efficiently the information may be processed, stored, or communicated. The variations in information handling systems allow for information handling systems to be general or configured for a specific user or specific use such as financial transaction processing, airline reservations, enterprise data storage, or global communications. In addition, information handling systems may include a variety of hardware and software components that may be configured to process, store, and communicate information and may include one or more computer systems, data storage systems, and networking systems.
Information handling systems provide a wide range of performance capabilities based upon the type of components included in the system. For example, processing capability depends upon the number of instructions that a processor can execute in a given time period. To make effective use of a powerful processor, the system typically needs a sufficient quantity of RAM for storing instructions and high capacity links to communicate information between the processor and desired components. In some instances, processor performance is enhanced by moving processing functions from a central processor unit (CPU) to supporting processors. For example, a graphics processor unit (GPU) executes instructions under the direction of a CPU to generate images for presentation at a display. In general, more powerful information handling systems have a larger housing to hold components. A larger-sized housing typically allows more room for the components and for supporting equipment, such as cooling fans. Typically, more powerful processing components tend to have greater amounts of heat generated as a by-product of processing instructions. The heat is removed by heat sinks and cooling fans that blow air over the components and out of the housing. A larger-sized housing provides more room for heat transfer devices and cooling airflow. In some instances, cooling is accomplished by passing a contained liquid flow proximate the heat-generating component since liquid typically provides a more efficient heat transfer medium than air.
Difficulties with heat transfer tend to increase as the size of an information handling system housing decreases. Portable information handling systems generally have relatively small housings so that an end user can hold the system during use. Portable information handling systems typically incorporate an integrated display and battery power source so that an end user can operate the system free from any external interfaces. In order to reduce system size and weight, components are often selected to build portable information handling systems so that heat generation and power consumption by the components fall within tight constraints. As a result, portable information handling systems typically have reduced processing capabilities relative to desktop or tower systems. Further, portable information handling systems often include power and cooling system logic that attempts to alter system operations to extend battery life and avoid overheating. One example of a way to avoid excessive power consumption and heat generation is to run a processor at a reduced speed, however, running a processor at reduced speed also reduces system performance. An end user may find reduced performance acceptable for some functions, such as word processing, however other functions often need full system performance to provide meaningful use to an end user, such as for gaming. In any event, the capability of a processor included with a portable information handling system is limited by the ability of the system to remove excess heat generated by the processor, which in turn is for practical purposes generally limited by the size of the housing.